Introspection
by Dingbats and Dweebs
Summary: We've seen so little, and yet so much. Just how deep do our favorite characters go, and what is the meaning behind all their lyrics? Each chapter covers a different girl, and aims to flesh out what we've already seen. Chapter 2: The pain in Blake's ears was nothing compared to the fear in her heart.
1. Mirror, Mirror

A/N

This story will be my attempt to take a further look at the main cast of RWBY. It will contain introspection, headcannons, and a lot of fandom guess-work, but I really want to try and get a grasp on these fantastic characters. Each chapter will focus on a different girl, and they may each get more than one if I get the inspiration.

So without further ado, here's a closer look at Weiss and her past.

Spoilers: RWBY Trailers and all episodes

* * *

She sings at night.

Not in the early morning while she takes her shower, decidedly ignoring the raucous of her teammates preparing for class. Neither during their afternoon break, choosing instead to remain silent while her classmates prattle on like imbeciles. Nor does she in the evening, providing instead a vicious glare to anyone who suggests she join in on the fun.

And she most certainly never, ever, in a million years, sings for an audience.

So, instead, she waits until dark, when the room is covered with shadows and the only sound is the soft snores of a particular fiery blond. Slipping away is easy; she's well practiced in going unnoticed, especially by those whose attention she wants most.

It takes her only a few moments to tug on her overcoat and boots, and soon she's out the door, the soft click of her heels earning her little more than a twitch from the room's other occupants. Beacon has no night guards to speak of, and so she remains unseen as she exits onto the grounds.

Slowly she makes her way towards the cliffs, snow crunching underneath her boots and breath coming out in puffs of smoke. The night is freezing, and her jacket does little to shelter her from the cold, but she presses on. The cold has never bothered her. If anything the chilling sensation is a welcome reprieve, freezing her all the way to her core.

It suits her, she thinks, coming to a halt at the edge of the cliff. Staring down at the snow covered forest, she let her sense of self fade, blurring into the white scenery. Yes, she matches this world, so prim, pristine, and deadly to those who bare it no caution.

Yet her heart aches to be something, anything, but.

She folds her hands in front of her, the voice of her old instructor haunting her preparations. Feet together, shoulders square, chin up, 'No, not that up!', and finally, most importantly, breathe from her stomach, not her chest. It's all so technical, so _exact_. It matches nothing of what she feels, the emotions she pours into her words.

Inhaling deeply, she allows the first lyrics to spill from her lips. "_Mirror… tell me something..." _

The syllables tumble easily off her tongue, having sung this song a hundred times before. Eyes closed, she is no longer standing in the shadows of Beacon but instead before a massive auditorium. Thousands of eyes staring at her, captivated by her, the entire stadium hushed and focused on her. But she only has eyes for the front row, or more specifically the two empty seats there.

Scrunching her face, she willed the image away. "_Fear of, what's inside me." _

She hates that she likes to sing. That she enjoys rhythms and scales, and hearing her voice bringing life to the printed notes. It's another reminder of who she was, of whose child she was, and the image she was supposed to project.

"_Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?"_

So she sings at night, away from any prying eyes. Concealed from her peers, she can let her façade drop, can let her tight control slip. With the cold surrounding her, numbing her, she can forget the bitter look in her parent's eyes, if only for a little while.

"_Mirror, tell me something. Who's the loneliest of all?" _Pausing, she let the note fade into the darkness. Taking a breath, she prepared to deliver the final line.

"_I'm the…" _A pair of gentle, grey eyes flashed through her mind, their owner smiling stupidly at some random joke.

"_Loneli—" _Another image passed by, the redhead being joined by a blonde and brunette; all three doing their best to get her to laugh and acting like buffoons in the process.

Cutting herself off, Weiss opened her eyes. A gust of wind blew past her, causing a shiver to run down her spine. Tugging her jacket closer around her, the heiress found herself reflecting upon the strange girls she was stuck with for the duration of her time at Beacon. After a few more moments of quiet contemplation, the white witch decided she had, had enough for the night and began her trudge back inside.

Only to have her return interrupted when she came across an oddity imprinted in the snow. There, following her evenly placed footprints, was several pairs of tracks. Normally this would have been of no suspicion, but given that this snowfall was fresh and mostly unbroken, caused her pause. It didn't help that there were several flakes of red scattered around, either.

A small smile coming to her face, Weiss reached down to gather one of the spiraling petals. She really needed to teach Ruby some of the finer points of stealth.

* * *

A/N

Well there's the first one, and probably my favorite of all the ones I have planned. This is mostly because I really like Weiss' character and think she's a lot deeper than the fandom (sometimes) gives her credit for.

As of the moment we know almost nothing about the characters, but I think, based on Weiss' song/trailer and how she acts in the show, that she really isn't your typical snobby princess (_That's heiress, actually)_. Instead I see her as a girl who has spent her life desperately trying to please her parents, and always failing to meet their standards in one way or another. The best example I have of this is in episode 6(?) when she tells Ruby "I'm not perfect, but I will be." I think it's less of her being uppity and more a hint to what she's been told her entire life. No matter what she accomplished, her parents always find something wrong with it, reminding her that they expect her to be absolutely perfect and uphold the Schnee name. She's terrified of disappointing them again, and that accounts for a lot of her initial behavior towards her team, especially her irritation at not being team leader.

That's also why I think she has such a quick turn-around after Professor Port talks to her. By telling her that it's okay to focus on being the best person she can be (not necessarily the best leader) he reminds her that it's okay for her to be her own self, and not the perfect child her parents expect.

Still despite her emotional hardships, she's still spent her life in relative comfort, and rarely has wanted for much. Her financial standing has probably separated her from her peers, and that could be part of the reason she's so lonely, not many have taken the time to look past her heiress mask.

In this story, I have her singing because I really like the idea that she was somewhat of a child idol. Her parents probably started her on singing as another way to make her their ideal child, but otherwise they couldn't be bothered to support her in it. Now that she's working on becoming a huntress (whether b/c she's rebelling against her parents, or b/c they want her to become one to improve the public view of their company I'm not sure) she almost never sings. She still really love its, something that irks her a bit, and while she would actually like to sing for others she too afraid of being disappointed again.

Anyway that's part of my really long rant on Weiss. If you ever want to talk to be about her, or any of the RWBY characters just shoot me a message, or come talk to me on tumblr, Dingbats-and-Dweebs

I'm still trying really hard to get a grip on all the characters, so I cherish any opinions from other fans. I think the next chapter will be about Blake, and her not-so-secret heritage.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

-Dingbats


	2. Hidden Heritage

A/N Looks like I'm going to keep churning out these fics until NaNoWriMo starts next week. It's good practice to get me used to writing everyday.

And without further ado, here's a closer look at Blake.

* * *

_Crrackkk!_

A loud crash rang through the room, snapping Blake out of her slumber and causing her to bolt up into a crouching position, her hand instinctively reaching for gambol shroud's handle. Fingers grasping empty air, she jolted in panic, head slamming into the bunk above her. Gasping in pain, she tumbled off her own bed, landing awkwardly on her side.

The cold floor stunned her for a moment, long enough for a familiar voice to break through her sleep-fogged mind.

"Ruby you dolt! Look at what you've done now." Weiss scolded, one hand on her hip as she jabbed the other in the direction of the redhead.

" I—I didn't mean too." Sitting up in the wreckage of what had once been their bunk beds, Ruby fought to untangle herself from her blankets. "I just got really excited about the upcoming tournament and I—"

"And you completely forgot that your bed was barely staying up as it was. What if I had still been sleeping? Or of it had broken when you tried to climb down? You could've gotten yourself hurt!" Weiss stepped forward to pull her partner free from her entrapment, delicate hands brushing debris from her clothing. "Jeez how'd I ever end up with a klutz like you for a partner." Despite her scathing words, Weiss' face was one of worry and she refused to let go of the redhead until she had checked her thoroughly for injuries.

"Heh, looks like somebody finally fell for you ice princess. Though I wish she'd done it without damaging our room the process." Swiveling her head around, Blake could just make out Yang's form as the blonde entered the room; skin glistening from her recent shower.

Moving further into the room, Yang crouched down next to her brunette partner. "Heya sleeping beauty, that was quite a spill you took." Hand extended, she reached out to rub the tender spot on Blake's skull.

Flinching away so quickly that she almost gave herself whiplash, Blake retreated from the gentle touch. Avoiding confused, violet eyes she rolled over and stood up, dodging around Yang to reach her bureau. Quickly grabbing what she needed for her morning routine, the speedster practically fled into the en suite bathroom.

"Sheesh what got her bow all knotted?" Weiss said; sharp tone blunted by the concerned creasing of her brow.

"I'm not sure. Yang?" Unsure of what to do, the young leader of team RWBY looked to her sister for guidance.

Staring blankly at the open palm that had invoked such a negative reaction, Yang slowly clenched it into a fist. "Just let it go, you two. She'll tell us when she feels like it." Yang replied, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, her morose attitude vanished, a mischievous smile taking its place.

Yang rounded on her younger companions. "Instead we should be worrying about the two of you. Looks like you're going to have to share a bed from now on." Smirking, Yang leapt forward to ensnare both girls in a headlock. "Yep no way around it. Hope you like to cuddle Ms. 'It's heiress actually', 'cause Ruby here's a real snuggle-bug when she's sleeping.

Chuckling at the embarrassed (Ruby) and outraged (Weiss) flailing, Yang tightened her grip, ensuring that they couldn't get free. With their heads firmly squished against the blonde's considerable assets, neither girl noticed when Yang's smile faded once again, an apprehensive violet gaze being directed at the locked bathroom door.

On the other side of said door, Blake was doing her best to slow her racing heartbeat. That had been close, too close. Another inch and Yang's hand would've come into direct contact with her bow… and the secret she was trying so hard to keep underneath it.

Reaching up, she gripped one of the loose strands of cloth and pulled, hissing lightly as the action tugged at sore flesh. Slowly unraveling her bow, she moaned softly as the last part of the restraints fell away. Atop her head, where the bow had once been, flicked a pair of black cat ears, their owner reveling in the freedom of allowing them to move naturally.

Setting her ribbon to one side, Blake began to massage the bruised flesh, cursing herself for banging the sensitive organs like she had. Her reaction had really been foolish; she had been at Beacon for weeks now, so there was no reason for her to have reacted like she was still out in the wilds, constantly on the lookout for any possible threats.

And she certainly didn't need Yang and the others on her case about any strange behavior. It was already hard enough to hide her faunas heritage from her roommates, she didn't need them actively searching for clues about her past.

Double-checking that the lock was well in place, Blake stripped down and turned on the shower. Stepping into it, she allowed the scalding water to cascade over her head, the heat soothing away the last of the aching

With the way that Beacon set up the dorms, showers like these were the only times that Blake could unwrap her ears. Hidden away behind a sturdy door and with little fear of her lock use being questioned, she could relax. They never lasted long enough, however, and all too soon Blake found herself back in front on the mirror; deft hands once again winding the ribbon back around damp fur.

Several times in the past few days Blake had considered just giving in and telling her friends the truth. But every time she tried to confess, a heavy weight had settled in her stomach and she wussed out.

Sure the members of team RWBY and JNPR seemed okay with the faunas, but a few positive comments wasn't enough to undo the years worth of hatred and bigotry Blake had had thrust upon her. And it wasn't like she was one hundred percent certain about their opinions either. After all, she had learned first hand that a few whispered protests against racism weren't the same as being okay with actually associating with a member of the persecuted.

So she kept wrapping up her ears and suppressing the urge to let them swivel and turn in response to her surroundings. It was safer, and the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional distress she felt at the thought of her friends staring at her in disgust.

Giving the bow one last tug to make sure it was secure, Blake pulled on the rest of her uniform and exited the bathroom. Prepared for a bombardment of questions about her earlier behavior, Blake was startled by the scene of chaos the opened door revealed.

Tucked behind cover on either side of the room, Yang, Ruby and Weiss were engaged in what had to be the fiercest pillow fight that Blake had ever seen. Using her superior strength and speed to her advantage, Yang was rocketing pillows into the other girl's heads; dominating them as she snatched their paltry throws midflight and used it to bolster her own ammo.

Surprised by Blake's sudden appearance behind her, Ruby spun on her heel. Arms already extended to toss her projectile, she didn't realize her mistake until it was too late.

All members of the room froze as the pillow soared through the air and whacked Blake directly in the face. Deeply confused herself, it was only because of her sharp reflexes that Blake was able to catch the fluffy décor before it hit the floor.

Raising her hands up in a defensive position, Ruby backed slowly away from the brunette. "Uh, sorry Blake."

On the other side of the room, Yang burst out laughing. "Come on Blake. Help me teach these two why it's a bad idea to gang up on team Bumblebee."

"Yang." Slanted, golden eyes glared at the boxer, the menace in them causing a shiver to run down the boxer's spine.

Quick as lighting, Blake's arm shot out, sending the pillow into Yang's face before any of the girls even saw her move. Smirking at her teammates' astounded looks, she reached for another projectile. "Somehow I think this whole mess is your fault, so excuse me if I don't rush to your aid."

"Oh is that how you wanna play it? Then bring it Belladonna!" Ducking behind the wreckage of Ruby and Weiss' beds, Yang started up her assault once again.

"Ha, No way you can beat us now Yang. Come on Weiss, let's get her!" Weiss 'hmphed' at the redhead's call, but her attitude didn't stop her from grabbing as many pillows as she could and tossing them to Blake.

Breaking down in joyous laughter, Blake sent pillow after pillow into Yang's face, her speed allowing her to completely turn the tables on the blonde troublemaker.

Yeah, Blake would give anything to protect the moments like this. Moments were she could let go and forget about her past, and pretend like she was just another normal girl. It didn't matter if she had to deny a huge part of her existence, it was worth it to be able to stand here and laugh with these girls she now called family.

At least that's what she told herself.

* * *

A/N

And there's Blake's. I'm not completely happy with it, as I still have far too many questions about Blake to get too strong a grip on her character, but I still think this chapter helped to show a bit more of her personality.

I seriously don't know what I'm going to do if it turns out that Blake is not a faunas. It's a huge part of how I see her and I think it really adds to the depth of who she is.

You can draw your own conclusions about whether Yang, Ruby, and Weiss know already know or not. I think they at least know something's up, but I'm not entirely certain that they know exactly what.

Questions, comments, or opinions? Send me a message! I like hearing everyone's views on the characters, it helps me flesh their characters out.


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